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缘分”是所谓命中注定的人与人遇合的机缘。英译“缘分”(亦作“天缘”)以及“有缘”、“无缘”常用的英文词有fate, luck, lot, destiny 等。请看几个例子:! Z) }$ ^. F% x# v( D' g4 R
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)( X& d' o+ |' |3 c/ J
6 }/ k/ o: a3 i+ O& I( E3 {Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)
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2.[宝玉问香菱为何薛蟠相亲定下了金桂,香菱笑道] 一则是天缘,二来是“情人眼里出西施”(《红楼梦》)
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It‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
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3.[王婆为了撮合西门庆和潘金莲,故意问前者是不是妻子死后,没有别的女人他中意的。西门庆争辩说]做甚么了便没?只恨我夫妻缘分上薄,自不撞着!(《水浒》); ? y0 v5 z# n, o6 ^
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Who says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)
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# F1 B' p$ r( {- A3 n4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) : _( i7 s. R/ s3 N1 y; v
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She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)% f7 \! J' W, i/ f, L& W
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5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》)/ Q" _; P( E5 x3 o0 r
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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2 V4 @3 z, B! f6.[杜慎卿向季苇萧诉说自己没有知心朋友]只为缘悭分浅,遇不着一个知己,所以对月伤怀,临风洒泪!(《儒林外史》)
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- b/ L U$ d, f7 WBut I have not been lucky enough to find a true friend, and that is why I so often give way to melancholy! (杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
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7.君琴瑟之好,自相知音;薄命人乌有此福。如有缘,再世可相聚耳。(《聊斋.宦娘》)# k2 u* X3 f/ l4 R4 g6 V
$ } x( @' N7 f. \1 v5 w/ q3 jYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me! i6 r4 [) s+ E
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such blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)8 {+ V6 s, ]: t& X9 L+ E# R1 D# J2 G
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8.[方鸿渐看不中张小姐,心中暗说]“我你他”小姐,咱们没有“举碗[案]齐眉”的缘分,希望另有好运气的人来爱上您。 (《围城》)
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Miss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love8 t- {4 G% l+ v0 w6 g
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)6 L: `8 G' p$ R& l( ^8 d
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可以看出,以上句子里的中心词都含有“命运”的意识,英译亦然。《围城》一例所mean,据New World Dictionary 等词典的解释也有 to destine or seem to destine 的意思,颇为妥帖。
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- r5 k3 Q, ]& C+ B+ x然而,“缘分”等词和命运的关联在有的用法里变得淡化了,甚至完全消失了。它只是泛指一种机遇或者机会。所以M. Roberts翻译《三国演义》的以下两句,用的词语和上边英译句子中的相应部分不同:1 h# i' b3 N% b
: E* k) p( T/ j: r8 p9.[刘备二顾草芦时误认诸葛均为为诸葛亮,说]备久慕先生,无缘拜会。) i, v5 _& G1 H8 V' i1 o; O
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Your talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.5 M. O3 R$ z# o) b* K' ]' }
. X% k& j& C1 o* L$ i _* w不仅如此,这种机遇还可以发生在人和事物之间。体育报道里说的“无缘(进入)决赛(be barred from entering the finals; be disqualified for the finals) 即其一例。《浮生六记》的作者沈复(字三白)因妻子陈芸喜欢李白和白居易的诗,就跟她说:
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" F0 V* q) D. S, l# W1 K) ~11.异哉!李太白是知己,白乐天是启蒙师,余适逢字三白,为卿婿;卿与“白”字何其有缘耶?: g T! ^% v4 l3 H8 L& u: c
: \3 U/ T: W* ^This is very strange. So LiBai is your bosom friend, Bai Juyi is your first tutor and yours band‘s literary name is Sanbai. It seems4 ~' C. t: m4 I9 f: }5 C
+ P: d5 d6 E9 K2 tthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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